Clamps, such as p-clamps are often used to secure elongate items in bundles and to further secure bundled elongate items to support surfaces. In many applications, it is sufficient merely to secure the items into a bundle. Such applications might include, for example, stationary electronic equipment that remains in one place and is subject to little or no vibration in use. In other applications, it is necessary or desirable not only to secure the items into a bundle, but to secure the resulting bundle to a support, surface, chassis or framework as well. Such applications are also common, for example, in cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, boats and other vehicles where the bundle is likely to be subjected to severe jostling and vibration. In other applications (e.g. buildings), where vibration might not be an important consideration, it is still desirable to secure cables, hoses, tubes, etc., to a fixed structure.
Plastic clips and clamps of various types have been developed to simplify and speed manufacturing operations. Appropriately designed clips and clamps can often be used in place of traditional brackets, nuts, bolts and washers. Frequently, it is easier and faster to use an appropriately designed plastic clips or p-clamps to secure one item to another than it is to use a bracket, nut and bolt. It is often more economical as well, particularly in high volume situations where the cost of initial design and tooling is amortized over a large number of pieces.
Known p-clamps may exhibit certain shortcomings. For example, clamps made of metal may twist and bend when in application. Coating on known clamps may wear away and cause the surfaces of secured bundled items to abrade. Moreover, known clamps may not be easily opened to release the bundled item, and the clamp may be damaged during removal. Further, known clamps may be difficult to install in awkward or unusual application environments requiring the user to maintain a large clamp inventory to ensure a clamp for each installment circumstance. Additionally, depending on the nature of the elongate items, the clamps may be required to withstand harsh environments, such as dirt, debris, UV exposure, or heavy vibration, for example. Clamps may fail when subjected to such conditions. Thus there is a need for a p-clamp which is able to fulfill many requirements simultaneously, to hold and secure elongate articles while withstanding a range of conditions and further provide facile release when desired.